1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a support and tote device, and more particularly to a support and tote device for watercrafts—such as personal watercrafts, boats, and/or other marine vessels.
2. Background Art
From small ponds, lakes, and rivers, to large bodies of water like the Great Lakes and Oceans, the use of watercrafts has become quite common. As such, watercraft use has become popular among all types of people, from adults to children, and includes both men and women, and certain difficulties have been encountered.
In particular, certain watercraft can be quite heavy (300 to 5,000+ pounds). As such, it is often difficult for a user to transport the watercraft from the beach or other storage area to the water—and vice versa. In addition, such watercraft generally comprise fiberglass and/or inflatable regions, etc., that can be damaged by dragging the same across the ground and/or beach.
While carts or totes have been utilized to overcome such difficulties, current devices are replete with drawbacks. For example, many totes include relatively small wheels and components, which may assist in the storage and toting of a watercraft, but are not generally compatible with rugged terrain at the water's edge—which is very common. Other totes provide larger wheels to tackle such terrain, but are operated manually and generally require a great deal of strength to operate. Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,869,094, issued to Fogg, discloses a submersible watercraft stand and tote device which engages and supports the hull of an associated watercraft. However, water/wave conditions can render use of the device problematic. Current devices which engage and support the hull of an associated watercraft typically require a high level of accuracy to position the watercraft so that the device properly engages the hull, and therefore the watercraft, in a stable and balanced configuration. Wave and water conditions can make such a task arduous if not impossible.
It is therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a watercraft support and tote device which enables a user to deploy, retrieve, and/or transport a watercraft in a manner which overcomes the drawbacks associated with current stand and tote devices.